Electrotherapeutic glove



July 7, 1925f G. W. ELMVALL ELECTROTHERAPEUTIG GLOVE Filed sept.l 27, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Witnesses: l f5. W J. flug.

Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED siiiaiias A 1,545,413 -liwi'iaiv'i OFFICE- i, l GUsTAvEw. ELMVALL, orpNlEw YORK, N. Y.

ELECTROTHERAPEU'MC GLOVE.

. `iippiicanmi inea september'ev, 1923-l serial No. 665,177.

To all whom it 'may concer/1t.'

Be it known that 1,'GUsTAvE lV. ELMVALL,

a subject of the King of Sweden, and a resi-l dent of the city of New York, vborough of Manhattan, in the county and State of-New York, have invented anew and Improved Electrotliei'apeutic Glove, which vthc following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This'invention relates to an electrotheiapeutic glove, and has for-an object the provision of a glove whichis easily manipulable on the hand for the purpose of massaging various parts of the human body to conibine in such treatment a physical rub and an electrotherapeutic action on the skin.

Another object concerns the provision of a device whichis simple and strong in its construction, economical to manufacture, and capable of withstanding considerable usage without deterioration. y

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of which-- Figure 1 is an elevation of the glove showing the construction of the palm side thereof;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 ofFigl; l

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; I

Figure 4 is a modification;

Figures 5 and 6 are modified forms of the skin contacting member;

Figure 7 is a section showing the manner in which a further modified form o-f skin contacting member may be embodied on the surface of the glove; and

Figure S is a diagrammatic illustration of the way in which the gloves are hooked up to the power circuit in actual use.

The form of the invention shown in the drawings is a preferred form, although it is understood that modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials use-d may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

As shown in the drawings, the preferred half way around the top of each linger and thumb.` The finger-tip contact members are Vmounted on the fabric of the glove in any lsuitable manner, such as by ceineiiting, although other methods and means for mountingthem thereon may be employed. i

On the palm side of the glove, covering the entire hand from the first Joint of each linger and thumb, including the wrist, are disposed on the fabric of the glove a large number of skin contacting elements or members such as 8. These are made preferably .of metal of any desired shape to give the proper degree of friction or stimulation to the skin. These skin contacting elements may be mounted on wire such as 4 by thread ing thereon, and are connecte-d, preferably, in a continuous series which is Wound or disposed on the surface of the glove in a continuous, closely related'manner so that substantially the entire surface is` covered by these elements. kThe ends of the wires are connected to conductors, such `as 5 and 6,l

These current carrying conductors are connected toan electrotherapeutic machine for producing in the skin lcontacting elements the desired electrical potential. As shown inl Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the shape of each skin contacting member may be elongated, having the flat sides presented toward the body of the patient. shown in Figs. 5 and 6, these members may have a curved or a rectangular formation; or, as shown in Fig. 7, may be button shaped.

As shown in Fig. 4, the contacting elements may be cemented or otherwise separately fastened to the surface of the glove and then connected merely by ne electrical conductors such as 10 to conduct current from one element to the other without these elements being threaded on the wire 4 previously mentioned.

As shown in Fig. 7 the contact element shown as 11 may be connected to the fabric of the glove by mechanical means, such as bent metal portions 12, and .the electrical contact between a plurality of such elements is achieved by passing a wire 13 beneath said elements and between them and the fabric.

The reason why differently shapedskin contacting elements are desired" to be used On the other hand, as

manner of this connection is immaterial."

for different gloves is because the variation in shape will vary the degree and the kind of stimulation produced on the skin. The electrical action, however, may be substantially uniform in each case; therefore by providing the glove with different kinds of .electrical potential is applied tothe contact- VYfriction and rubbing action.

ing lelements so that' the proper electrotherapeutics is combined with the physical The gloves 1 are connected respectively to portions of a double socket 18 which is connected to the power lines 15 and 16 through a rheostat 17. The patient lies on a couch 14 and in ,this location is treated to the massage and therapeutic action of the glove as manipulated by the rubber. By manipulatine; ythe .rlleostat 17y the amount of eurrent applicable to the body of the patient can be controlled, and italso eliminates the danger of excessivepotentialsreaching the patient.

It will be noted that `the gloves connected to the |double SOelet 18 by Ithe wires 8 and 9 are supported resliently'through said wires by means of springs 19 and 2D. Ihese springs are supported from opposite ends of a curved pivoted arm 21, pivoted on .a rigid but'rotjatable arm v22, this latter arm being rotatably supported on the upper .end of a pedestal 23 which may be fastened* to any particular point Whel1,'as shown, lis the Side of the. couch 14. The gloves placed on the ,hand of the rebbe? een then lee Very easily manipulated in any desired direction,

and by reason of the permissible pivotal actionof' the arm 21 and the rotation of the arm 22, combined with the flexibility of the springs 19 and 20, the utmost freedom of iployeipent -is ossible. The Wires thus are kept supportedP from the floor so that they ere not .in the wey .et any time. l

(What I. ,Gleim ,ie r1- An eleetretllerepeutle glove which irl- .,cludes e: 4flexible.beekine end e plurality of metallic hollow skin ,con-tact members disposed :on one side of thei'ingers and thumb `lof said glove and extending from the first joint to aV point approximately midway of the tip of the linger and the thumb for the purpose of providing metalli@ @PS7 and. a.

plurality of skin eeeteet elemente mounted .on the .remainder .Of Seid Side of the glove, all the skin contact elements being mechanically and electrically connected in a series.

2. An electrotherapeutic glove which includes a flexible backlog eed. e plurality 0f metalli@ hollow ski-n Contact members disposed on one sideo-f the lingers and thumb of said `glove .and extending from the .first joint to a point approximately midway of the tip of the iingeiv and the thumb for the purpose of providing metallictips, a plurality o skin contact elementsmounted on the remainder of said Sicile of the glove, ,all the skin contact elements being mechanically .and electrically connected loe Series' enel means for connecting said elements to a Source of eleetrleel energy GUSTAVE W. ELMVALL. 

